The passage of Measure C would allow the Vallejo City Council to exact a special sales tax on medical marijuana — ranging from 1 to 10 percent in addition to the general sales tax.

Not only would the revenue generated from a special sales tax help fund crucial city services, it would also provide the necessary money to close down dispensaries that do not comply with the city”s future zoning ordinance. It would provide money that we do NOT currently have in our General Fund to litigate and shut down illegal dispensaries.

Medical marijuana has been legal in the state of California since 1996, when the state Legislature passed Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, decriminalizing the use and cultivation of marijuana by seriously ill individuals. Under state law, the City of Vallejo has an obligation to ensure safe access to the more than 75,000 medical marijuana users in the state of California. While not yet established, the City of Vallejo is using Prop. 215 guidelines to develop a zoning ordinance and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries (MMD). The new MMD ordinance is expected to be presented to the city council for approval by early 2012. The new ordinance would establish the number of permitted dispensaries allowed, locations, hours of operation and other regulatory requirements.

Many people have argued that since the city has no regulatory framework at this time, we”re putting the cart before the horse by taxing before establishing zoning and permitting regulations. In an ideal world, I agree it would be preferable to establish a zoning ordinance first and then potentially impose a tax. Unfortunately, there is an associated cost with placing any initiative on a local ballot. Since the City of Vallejo already has other initiatives and elections on the 2011 ballot, it is considerably less expensive to vote on it this year. If we wait until 2012, not only will we lose another year of revenue, it could be as much as 15 times more expensive to place it on the ballot (e.g., $150,000 instead of $10,000). Other cities like Sacramento have established a tax before approving the regulatory framework and there is no reason the City of Vallejo cannot do the same.

Others also argue that medical marijuana should be sold in a pharmacy. That may be true. But the fact is that”s not how the state law is written. State law allows for the establishment of nonprofit medical marijuana collectives. It does not allow the sale of marijuana in pharmacies. By establishing a MMD ordinance and special sales tax, the City of Vallejo is operating within the confines of existing state law.

Finally, the federal government”s recent crackdown on the sale of medical marijuana might make it seem that Measure C is now irrelevant. But this debate is not over. There will continue to be legal battles between the federal and state government, as well as the medical marijuana industry. And if California state law prevails in the courts, the passage of Measure C would mean that the city is positioned to financially benefit from the courts decision.

Please vote “yes” on Measure C and help fund vital city services and the ability of the city to shut down unwanted and illegal dispensaries.